Posted by Drago on May 03, 2003 at 18:49:33:
In Reply to: Re: Re: too many ? posted by js on May 03, 2003 at 16:46:04:
My comments were intended to provoke thought.
The big question is "Should a University have any (pick one of the following) English Lit, Black Studies, Tuba Performance programs?" If so, how many should there be? Why one school and not another? If not, then what are your criteria for what should be included?
If the goal of the university system is to provide thinking people who know how to reason and find things out, then what does it matter what's studied? If it's to teach a trade, then for gosh sakes, let's get rid of the deadwood, sell off a few libraries and get down to teaching kids how to program in XML.
It's this product-oriented approach that is making our kids think that majoring in music performance in college will be meal ticket to a performing career. That's what I call the "trade school mentality". But if going to school means that a student will get the tools to make her/him a better musician/administrator/engineer or whatever, then I'm all for it.
Heck, almost nothing of a practical nature that I studied over 30 years ago in engineering has much relevance in today's world. I can't even remember when I lost my slide rule and T-square--and I long ago recycled the boxes and boxes of punch cards that once filled my hall closet.